For immediate release: January 11, 2025Radio Amateurs of Canada is pleased to once again present the following two Amateur Radio courses: Basic Qualification Course and the Advanced Qualification Course. Registration is now open for both courses. Please see the course information provided below. 

RAC Basic Qualification Course (see below for Advanced)

The Winter 2025 RAC Basic Qualification course will be starting on January 30. Registration is now underway.

Radio Amateurs of Canada is once again offering an online Amateur Radio course so that individuals from all across Canada can obtain their Amateur Radio Operator Certificate with Basic Qualification.

Course information:

The course will again be conducted with the assistance of the Annapolis Valley Amateur Radio Club (AVARC) of Nova Scotia.

This course prepares students for the Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) Basic Qualification Level Operator Certificate exam to operate on allocated Amateur Radio frequencies.

It is open to everyone across Canada and even abroad. Classes will be recorded, so occasional absences are not a problem.Schedule and Cost:

Date: The Basic course will be held on Thursdays and Sundays commencing on Thursday, January 30 and ending on Sunday, April 6.

Time: Classes will be held on Thursday evenings from 6 pm to 9 pm (1800 – 2100)  Eastern Time and Sunday afternoons 1 pm to 4 pm (1300 – 1600) Eastern Time. There may also be a handful of additional classes if necessary.

Cost: The registration fee for the course is $50 plus GST/HST. The cost of the Basic Study Guide is extra and an order link will be provided upon completion of payment.

Once again the club meeting has been canceled due to expected bad weather. The next club meeting will be January 8, 2023.

Don’t forget the open house on December 30 at the club room on Pictou Rd in Bible Hill at the EMO Bldg.

On December 30, 2023 the Truro Amateur Radio Club will be holding an Open House at our club room in the EMO Bldg @ 39 Pictou Road in Bible Hill.

This will take place from 1000 to 1600 hrs (10am to 4pm)

All are welcome at the Open House, from experienced Amateur Radio operators to those just thinking Amateur Radio might be an interesting hobby and want to get a little more info and see some of the radio equipment.

This date is also the date of the Radio Amateurs of Canada winter contest, a 24hr contest where you try to make as many contacts across Canada as possible. So during the Open House we will be on the radio trying to make contacts. So if your new to the hobby or hoping to get into it this would be a good chance for you to have some fun trying to make some contacts.

Hi All,

I hope everyone has had a good summer so far, its hard to believe that it is September already and the leaves are starting to change.

As you know September marks the start of club meetings again and the first meeting next Monday September 11th will also be the club AGM at the Colchester EMO BLDG on Pictou Rd in Bible Hill at 1900hrs see you then.

All club executive positions are open for election President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer.

President – This position is open. I indicated at the June meeting that I would be stepping down, time for someone else to try to move the club forward.

Vice President – Scott McNutt reoffering

Secretary – Brett Nelson reoffering

Treasurer – Michael Harvey reoffering

The club membership was stable for last year, but we need to figure out a way to increase it. Many things were discussed in May and June, hopefully some of these things will come to pass.

73

Dave

For more info – https://www.rac.ca/rac-basic-qualification-amateur-radio-course-fall-2023/

Good read https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/cimate-change-telecommunications-ham-radio-help-1.6884108

I wanted to advise everyone that thanks to John Langille VE1CWJ and Brett Nelson VE1NEL the Truro Amateur Radio Club now has a VHF Winlink Packet Gateway up and running at the club room as of December 13th.

The name of the Gateway Station is VE1AO-10

For those with packet stations this will give you the ability to send emails to the world over VHF through the Gateway using the Winlink Express email program. If you do not already have a Winlink email address you can go to Winlink.org download the program and sign up for an email address. Winlink Express can also be used as a regular email program directly over the internet for those who wish to use it that way.

For those in the Truro area with line of site communications, the gateway can be accessed locally on a frequency of 145.07mhz using Packet Winlink mode on the Winlink Express email program.

For those outside the Truro area that do not have line of site communications,  you can access the Gateway through the VE1TAL Node on the MARCAN Packet system.  

Winlink Express is slowly becoming the go to program for providing Amateur Radio operators the ability to send and receive emails over the air waves. With the use of a portable/mobile packet station and a laptop, whether as an exercise or in emergency situations, Amateur Radio operators in the Truro area will now have the ability to send emails over the air waves from remote locations.

The TARC invites everyone to try out the Gateway. Let us know your experience using Winlink and the Gateway, which are just additional tools for enjoying the vast hobby of Amateur Radio.

In the new year we will be putting on a discussion and demonstration following a club meeting, probably February or March. 

73

Dave 

-- 
Dave Hull
VE1HUL

Wow time flies, here we are at the end of September already.

Exercise Handshake is tonight September 28 @ 1900 hrs on a MAVCOM repeater near you. You can also check in on HF on 80M @ 3675mhz.

We still have permission to use the EMO Bldg on Pictou Rd as long as the Covid-19 protocols are followed (masks & distancing) so I will be over there to take part, all are welcome.…

73

Dave Hull

VE1HUL

This is a reminder that the September club is tomorrow night on September 13th at the EMO Bldg on Pictou Rd @ 1900hrs. This will include our AGM as well as the regular meeting. It is also a good time to rejoin/join the club.

Hi All,

Just a quick reminder about Exercise Handshake tonight August 31st @ 1900hrs on a MAVCOM repeater near you.